Bonnie shook her head. “He’s not too old for me. He was very young when his daughter was born, so he’s not the typical father of the bride.”
“So? He could end up a grandfather in a year or two. You really want to get involved with a grandfather before you even turn thirty?”
She had to admit the question took her aback for a moment, but she shook it off quickly. If Cassie did have a baby within the next two years, Paul would be a young, fit, sexy grandfather. But that was far from her concerns at the moment.
“We made an agreement when we all went into business together, remember?” she asked, addressing the firm question to both her siblings. “Since we spend so much time together and live in such close proximity, it’s especially important that we maintain our boundaries, both professionally and personally. This is me, protecting my boundaries. Back off, both of you.”
Kinley and Logan exchanged looks that expressed both surprise that their usually easygoing younger sister had snapped at them, and maybe concern that she’d felt defensive enough to do so. She didn’t want to get into it any more just then. “I’m going up to make sure everything is set up in the parlor for the guests. There’s lemon pie in the fridge. Help yourself if you want and let yourself out when you’re done.”
She didn’t have to feel remorseful about leaving them there, she assured herself as she stalked out the door and up the steps to the back door of the inn. It wasn’t as if her sister and brother were company. Still, she felt a bit guilty as she pasted on a hostess smile and headed for the parlor. She was usually the peacemaker in the family. But that didn’t mean her older siblings had open permission to tell her what to do—or whom to do it with, she added indignantly. Even if she had her own questions about whether she and Paul had a future together, that decision was strictly between the two of them.
She was just about to turn in that night when Paul called. Seeing his name on her phone screen made her smile even as her pulse rate jumped. She sat back on the bed, curled her feet beneath her and lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
“Hi. I hope it’s not too late to call.”
“I’m still awake,” she assured him. “I was just getting ready for bed.”
A moment of silence followed her comment and she wondered a bit self-consciously if he was picturing her in bed. She was suddenly thinking of him that way, which made her shift restlessly against the headboard and resist an impulse to fan her cheeks with her free hand.
“I didn’t know when to call so I wouldn’t interrupt your work, but I figured you’d be done by now.” His voice sounded just a bit deeper than usual. “How was your day?”
“Busy. Yours?”
“I took the twins and a few of their friends to the lake for a cookout and swim.”
“That had to be interesting in your Mustang,” she teased.
He chuckled. “I rented a seven-passenger van for the day. They filled the seats.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“It was…interesting. They flirted and giggled and roughhoused, and then at the end of the day the girls cried all the way back while the guys postured and mocked them.”
“Why did the girls cry?”
“Because the twins are moving away and Jenna and her friends want to extract as much angst and drama as possible from the next month.”
Bonnie smiled, remembering how her own friends had relished dramatic performances at that age. “It was very noble of you to serve as their chaperone today.”
She could almost hear him shrug. “I want to spend a little time with them during these last weeks, too,” he admitted. “Though I managed not to burst into noisy tears when I dropped them off at their house.”
She laughed. “Very stoic of you.”
“We manly men are tough like that.”
“Of course. Cassie didn’t go with you guys today?”
“No, she had classes. She said if I talked to you I should tell you she’s going to call tomorrow to set up a time when you can get together for a fitting. Apparently she’s got your dress to a point where she needs you to try it on.”
“I can’t wait to see it. I could probably clear a couple of hours Sunday afternoon. If she needs to see me before then, she’ll have to stop by here for a quick consultation.”
“Really busy, huh?”
She explained about the two weddings scheduled for Saturday, and he offered both congratulations and sympathy, making her smile again. “By the way,” she said, “Cassie’s friend Danielle and her fiancé met with Kinley this afternoon and booked the inn for the third weekend in May. They’ve already hired a wedding planner, who came with them. I met with them only briefly, but I’m sure it’s going to work out great.”
Danielle wasn’t using the same planner as Cassie, a nice man Bonnie and Kinley had collaborated with several times before, but rather someone new to the area. Alexis Mosley, who had appeared to be close to Bonnie’s age, had purchased her business from a wedding planner who’d recently retired. She had seemed quite nice and highly competent. Kinley, needless to say, had made it very clear that they would always welcome Alexis and her future clients at Bride Mountain Inn.
“I’m glad Cassie was able to recommend you to her friend. Maybe Danielle will also bring in word-of-mouth business.”